Pune generates about 1,000-1,200 tonne garbage, of which 60% is wet waste. (File Photo) Pune generates about 1,000-1,200 tonne garbage, of which 60% is wet waste. (File Photo) A Pune-based start-up has come up with a solution that, it claims, will not only help manage the increasing municipal solid waste in a decentralised way but also generate an alternate livelihood for wastepickers. ‘Vaayu’, a brainchild of mechanical engineer-turned-entrepreneur Priyadarshan Sahasrabuddhe, will use a special bacterial solution that will ‘digest’ organic (wet) waste and turn it into biogas. The process of ‘digestion’ happens in a large tank and the gas is collected in a specially-designed balloon from where it can be directly connected to a gas oven, to be used as a fuel. The process also generates a liquid slurry, which, the entrepreneur says, can be used as a fertiliser. Sahasrabuddhe said the increasing waste problem has bothered him since his college days, at the IIT-Bombay. “Generation of biogas is not new but we wanted to improve the setups and give it a compact and easy-to-operate look,” he said. While experimenting with canteen waste at a mechanical engineering company in Chinchwad, Sahasrabuddhe zeroed in on the present model. ‘Vaayu’ consists of a large tank where the special bacterial culture converts the wet waste put through a feeder pipe. The gas generated is stored in a balloon that is transported through a pipe to a gas cylinder. The tank also has a slurry outlet, which collects the fertiliser. The setup has the capacity of digesting 2 kgs wet waste per day can generate cooking gas enough for 40 minutes of cooking daily on a home burner. The setup, however, works only on segregated waste with Sahasrabuddhe saying they are working on compactor setups too. Pune generates around 1,000-1,200 tonner of garbage, of which around 60 per cent is wet waste. Majority of the wet waste is being treated at the decentralised waste disposal facilities. However, their management has been a matter of concern. ‘Vaayu’, Sahasrabuddhe said, allows for a better and more efficient system. In the last four years, around 100 such setups have been installed, including seven in Matheran. He added they have planned a pilot project in the second phase, in association with Swach — the wastepickers’ cooperative. Under the project, wastepickers will act as service partners for establishments that will run the setups. Priya Kathuria of Swach said the pilot project has been set up at a marriage hall and will be maintained by the wastepickers, while the gas will be used by the hall. “The project will serve as an alternative livelihood programme for our members…,” she added. For all the latest Pune News, download Indian Express App

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